Davao City has no idea how many dogs there are in the city according to researchers working on studies about the virus. And so, the project of rabies prevention is not only difficult, it has too many factors to consider.

Wanderlust | Coca-Cola partners with LGU for World Without Waste campaign

By Ian Ray Garcia on August 26, 2019

This story appeared on Page 13 of the August 26, 2019 issue of Mindanao Times. To download a copy, visit www.bit.ly/MindanaoTimes

After recently sealing a partnership with the city government of Davao in installing benches made from recycled PET (polyethylene t

erephthalate) bottles at various city parks, Coca Cola officials, spearheaded by corporate and regulatory affairs director Atty. Juan Lorenzo Tañada, led their World Without Waste campaign’s #BetterBottleChallenge media event last August 23 at Magsaysay Park.

Coca-Cola officials, led by Juan Lorenzo Tañada, with Winchester Lemen of Winder Recycling Company

Magsaysay Park, along with People’s Park, Rizal Park, and Botanical Garden, is one of the pilot sites of the project in collaboration with Davao’s Winder Recycling Company. Coca Cola also installed trash bins where the used PET bottles will be collected.

“What we really want to do is to show how our packaging gets reused and become bottles again, or transformed to other products – show how our packaging gets second life,” said Tañada.

During his presentation, he showed the volume of bottles collected during special events in Davao in recent months. After the Palarong Pambansa, 477 kg of trash were collected while the DAVRAA and Araw ng Dabaw gathered 214.9 kg and 65.9 kg respectively, or a total of 758.5 bottles.

Winder Recycling Company president Winchester Lemen

“Imagine what we can do with these bottles,” he quipped.

Coca-Cola have also built similar partnerships with LGUs and NGOS in the collection and recycling of used PET bottles in communities in Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Siargao, Baler, Sarangani, Marinduque, Bataan, Albay, Cavite and Metro Manila.

Coca-Cola team with Davao print and online media

“Our commitment is not just to the company but also our communities. Ultimately, what we really want to do is invest in a more sustainable future – this is all aligned with our 2030 goal,” he explained.

The company’s “World Without Waste” global campaign that started in 2018 seeks to collect and recycle the same amount of plastic bottles it produced by 2030.

Tanada added that Coca Cola’s centerpiece project is their PhP1 billion PET bottle recycling facilility due for groundbreaking by 3rd quarter. It is all part of the beverage company’s endeavor in making cities into cleaner, greener, and more sustainable destinations.